The Indianapolis Colts just cemented themselves as the frontrunner in the AFC by trading for New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner. The two-time All-Pro is barely 25 years old, and he'll anchor the Colts' secondary for the next decade.
This is the biggest win-now move that general manager Chris Ballard could have made, and it is also a stamp of approval for Daniel Jones as the franchise's quarterback. Indianapolis is all-in on the 2025 NFL season, and it is hard to be upset at that.
Giving away two future first-round picks is never ideal, but it's hard to imagine that, with two projected picks in the late 20s, at least, the Colts would have found a player half as effective as Gardner, at least in the short term. Oh, and Ballard was able to get rid of a draft bust in the process.
Colts sent Adonai Mitchell to Jets along with picks for Sauce Gardner
While the initial exchange for Gardner was reported to be the aforementioned two picks, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported shortly after that the Colts were also sending wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, to New York.
It is safe to say that Mitchell has been quite a bust in his season and a half in Indianapolis. His dropping the ball just before the goal line in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams not only cost the Colts the game, but it was emblematic of his tenure with the team.
He had all the tools, he was almost there, but just couldn't quite get to a point where he got it done. Mitchell had just 9 catches for 152 yards and 0 touchdowns this season, and only a 56.3% catch percentage. In his two years combined, that total was just 45.1%, which included 4 drops.
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Considering the trio of Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Alec Pierce is firing on all cylinders, and Jonathan Taylor is arguably the MVP of the league in 2025, there was no need to hold onto Mitchell, especially if he was the deciding factor in a trade for an elite player like Sauce Gardner.
Nobody wants to give up on a second-round pick after just 25 games with the franchise, but the Colts needed a cornerback a lot more than they needed another wide receiver. There is no time to waste in Indianapolis, as the time is now to make a run back to the Super Bowl.
Mitchell finished his short Colts career with 32 catches for 464 yards and 0 touchdowns. Gardner comes to Indianapolis with 3 interceptions, 46 passes defended and a career 77.5 quarterback rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks. This was a no-brainer for Ballard and Co.